FIFA encouraged footballers to get vaccinated on Sunday.
It was the first clear statement of its kind from world football’s governing body and it comes because they are concerned over the lack of update from football players in getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
We don’t know where the hesitance comes from – but this is not exclusive to footballers because there are people in other professionals equally unsure about getting the vaccine.
On top of that, the amount of misinformation going the rounds about COVID-19 hasn’t helped, which has led FIFA to make a direct plea to any players under their jurisdiction to get vaccinated.
FIFA’s biggest worry now is clearly the World Cup in Qatar.
“We encourage COVID-19 vaccinations,” FIFA were quoted as saying by the Associated Press.
“And endorse the World Health Organisation’s position: safe, fair, and equitable access is critical in all countries. Players should not receive priority access to vaccines.”
The British government last week agreed to ease strict quarantine requirements to allow fully vaccinated players to train and feature in matches on their return to England from countries on the red-list.
“We acknowledge this decision does not help every player and we remain committed to further improving the situation for upcoming windows and joining discussions to explain more about the many measures we are putting in place to reduce the risks of COVID transmission into the community as a result of player travel,” FIFA added.
